Case Studies

A growing trend in cool season greens management is "total renovation of Poa / bent greens" and re establishing to a new "super bent" variety (007, 777 or Tyee bentgrass).

Additionally, we are seeing more total course renovations with re grassing of greens, tees and fairways and re establishing with a "super bent" variety.

Below are some "case study" examples showing recent projects:

Greens converted from Poa annua to bentgrass

Total course renovation and regrassing

Interseeding 007, 777 or Tyee bentgrasses into older Pencross greens

New course seedings or course renovations in the US.

Northwood Club, Dallas, TX has new 007 greens.

A Trip Davis Golf Architect renovation / redesign has been recognized as the Best Country Club in Dallas / Forth Worth, TX (2019). The new greens were seeded to 007 bentgrass.﻿

Desert Mountain Renegade fairways to be converted from Bermuda to creeping bentgrass in September 2018

Shawn Emerson Directory of Agronomy for the Desert Mountain courses in Scottsdale, AZ and Course Superintendent Mike Gracie have decided to convert the Bermudagrass fairways on the Renegade course to creeping bentgrass.

Shaun states, "Our members expect the fairways to be green during the winter season and bentgrass is a better option compared to winter overseeding with ryegrass."

A blend consisting of 75% 007 and 25% MacKenzie creeping bentgrass was seeded on the fairways in September 2018. The bentgrass germinated in 4 - 7 days and has matured nicely developing 7 - 12 inch roots by early December 2018.

Founded in 1898, Minikahda is the oldest country club west of the Mississippi river and a premier club in the region.

During late summer Jeff Johnson, golf course superintendent, is scheduled to renovate and regrass greens and fairways, The golf course will be closed for member play in July 23, 2018 with greens and fairways renovations starting immediately as reseeding of the surfaces must be accomplished by the end of August.The Minikahda Club is scheduled to reopen for play in June 2019.

The planned process is for the greens to be stripped of turf, the existing soil tilled then apply Basamid to fumigate the soil prior to seeding 007 bentgrass at the rate of 1.5 pounds per 1,000 square feet the third week of August. Fairways will be seeded to a combination of 007 / 1150 bentgrass at the rate of 65 pounds per acre.

Arcadian Bluffs New South Golf Course, Michigan. Opening for play August 1, 2018.

Greens, Fairways and Tees seeded with 007 bentgrass.

The Arcadian Bluffs golf resort on the shores of Lake Michigan has been recognized for being highly successful with attracting golfers from great distances to stay in the lodge and enjoy the acclaimed "The Bluffs" golf course.

Following this success a 310 acre site has been acquired to design and built a second golf course.This new golf course will be called Arcadian Bluffs "The South Course" and is located 1.5 miles from the lodge.

The golf course architect selected for creating "The South Course" is a Dana Fry golf course design project.﻿

Jim Bluck, golf course superintendent, advised that Dana "has mentioned a number of times that this grow-in happened faster than any other project he has been involved in." Jim reported "the 007 fairways are phenomenal in terms of the density and how upright the turf is."

Further, Jim made this comment, "I am so happy with my grassing choice and I am looking forward to learning more about the management of this variety."

The South course will open for play on August 1, 2018.﻿

Hudson National Golf Club, Croton on the Hudson, NY

Ryan Oliver, golf course superintendent, upon completion of a new and extensive practice facility installed a large 777 (Triple Seven) bentgrass nursery to be used for rebuilding and grassing two greens on the golf course - at some point in the near future.

The photo below is 777 bentgrass 24 days after a June 2018 seeding date.

The photo below was taken in October 2018 sixteen weeks after seeding 777 (triple seven) bentgrass. Mowing height of 2.8 mm (.110 inch).

This 777 nursery turf will be used to sod two new greens that are scheduled to be rebuilt in the fall of 2019 at Hudson National.

Shady Oaks Country Club, Fort Worth, TX

Brent Doolittle, golf course superintendent, supervised construction of a new nine hole par 3 course in the summer and fall of 2016 completing this project in the spring of 2017. The greens were built to the size of a regulation golf course.

Of the nine greens seeded each received a single variety. Two greens were seeded with 007 bentgrass, two with Luminary and two with AU Auburn. One green each was seeded to 777, V8, and L-93XD. Judging the performance results of these nine greens Brent will sellect a bentgrass for a scheduled 2019 renovation on his regulation 18 hole golf course.

The photo below is a seventeen months old 777 putting green. Mid July 2018.

Torrey Pines North Course total renovation is well received, San Diego, CA

The North Course received a total renovation in 2016 under the direction of Tom Weiskopf, golf course architect. As a part of the golf course renovation the North greens were totally rebuilt and seeded to 007 / Tyee bentgrasses. During the last week of January 2017 Torrey Pines hosted a PGA tour event with players using both the North and South courses during the first two rounds of tournament play. For rounds three and four the South course, with Poa annua greens, was played by all of the Pro's who made the cut. With both North and South courses used during the same PGA event this allowed a direct comparison of putting surfaces. The comments from PGA Pro's have been extremely positive on how smooth and firm the new 007 / Tyee greens have played. ﻿

Medinah Country Club to restore its No. 2 course in 2016, an original 1927 design .

Located in a Chicago suburb, Medinah is home to three legendary golf courses - Course No. 1, Course No. 2 and Course No. 3. The famed Course No. 3 has played host to numerous major championship and prestigious international golf events throughout the club's history.

Medinah Country Club initiated a $3.6 million project to restore the club's Course No. 2 to its original character.

"Most people don't know what a special gem Course No. 2 is," said Curtis Tyrrell, Medinah's director of golf course operations. "When we restore the design elements and upgrade the playing surfaces, it's going to bring an exciting new dimension to the overall Medinah golf experience." Tyrrell will oversee the restoration, while course architect Rees Jones will serve as a consultant. Jones, led the renovation of Medinah's Course No. 3 ahead of the 2012 Ryder Cup.

The project will be completed by the end of the 2016 with a re-opening of the golf course in June 2017. The renovation will include the construction of state-of-the-art greens seeded to 70% 007 and 30% SR 1119 bentgrasses, along with new tees and bunkers, the installation of 90% 007 and 10% SR 1119 bentgrass fairways and extensive improvements to its storm drainage system.

With the restoration of Course No. 2, Medinah will have invested more than $14 million since 2008 to upgrade its three courses. Course No. 1 reopened last summer after a renovation by Tom Doak.

Penn Oaks Country Club, west of Philidelphia had very bad luck in late spring 2015 followed by a new beginning during the fall months - new 007 greens.

The Penn Oaks Country Club "lost their greens" this past June due to application of a "tainted" chemical spray manufactured by a Chinese company. This same problem occurred in 2015 on approximately fifty golf courses located mostly in the north eastern US. The pesticide spray was so damaging to turf on the greens (dead and unplayable) that a majority of the courses affected by the application of this Chinese generic fungicide had to close for part or all of the 2015 golfing season.

Shortly after applicated of the tainted fungicide in the spring of 2015 all greens at the Penn Oaks course suffered extensive turf damage. Club management decided to take this opportunity to initiate a total renovation of the greens. The decision was to close the golf course and core out greens eighteen inches deep and build new USGA greens under the direction of Mark Williams, golf course superintendent, Stephen Kay, Golf Course Architect, and Steve McDonald, Turf Consultant.

Stephen Kay rcommended 100% 007 bentgrass for seeding the new greens surfaces. The greens were seeded in late August with the last green seeded the end of September 2015 (photo above two and one half weeks after seeding). The plan is to open the course for play by mid May 2016.

007 creeping bentgrasses was selected for regrassing greens at Conway Farms golf course in preparation for a major PGA tour event.

Conway Farms Golf Club hosted the 2015 BMW Championship, won by Jason Day, September 17 - 20, 2015 (PGA tour event, on the road to the final FedEX event.).

The new 007 greens looked and played fantastic as they were uniform, dense, smooth, fast, with no spiking of the surfaces. The 90% 007 / 10% Tyee seed blend was seeded in the summer of 2014, grew in during the fall of 2014 and matured during the spring of 2015. By September of 2015 the new greens were exceptional for the BMW Championship.

Conway Farms is located in Lake Forrest, Illinois, sits on 209 acres, is a Tom Fazio design and was originally opened for play in 1991.

The golf course superintendent is Connor Healy and he described the process for a total turf renovation and seeding the greens with 90% 007 and 10% Tyee in 2014:

Golf course designed by Tom Fazio in 1991 with USGA greens construction. The greens provided good internal soil drainage going into the regressing project.

Conway Farms golf course was closed for greens renovation on August 1, 2014.

First, aerified greens using 5/8 inch hollow tines to pull a plug, then cleaned the surface of the plugs, and left the holes open.

Immediately after the hollow tine aerification went over the greens surface with 1/4 needle tines.

Next, deep double verticut of the greens, once north to south and once east to west making squares in the surface thatch / matt.

On August 3, 2014 applied Methyl Bromide sterilization to the green surfaces, the gas applied under a plastic tent draped over the green with the edges of the plastic set under sod turf to provide a seal that would keep the gas from escaping. After five days the plastic was removed to allow the surface of the greens to air out.

Seed was applied to the surface at the rate of 2 pounds per 1,000 square feet of 90% 007 and 10% Tyee creeping bentgrass. The surface was sand topdressed lightly after seeding.

A coco matt was used to drag over the surface to allow the seed and sand topdressing to fall into the aerification holes and deep verticut groove squares. The surface was then rolled to firm the surface.

Pre plant fertilizer was applied at the rate of 1/2 pound Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet with an additional application of Milorganite at the rate of 1/2 pound of Nitrogen.

The 007 / Tyee bent seed germinated in 7 days.

1/4 pound of Nitrogen was applied every 14 days through the middle of October using Ammonium Sulfate liquid fertility.

Mowing started two weeks after germination about Labor Day (The first Monday in September). Photo below: Five weeks after seeding. The greens matured nicely going into November 2014.

In April and May of 2015 the greens resumed growth and continued to grow in and mature. The golf course was re opened for members play on May 25th. Keep in mind there was only four months of bentgrass growing weather - September and October 2014 and April and May of 2015.

September 14 - 20, 2015 Conway farms hosted the BMW PGA tour Championship on new 90% 007 10% Tyee bentgrass greens. The mowing height for the tournament week was .090 of an inch with a stimpmeter reading of 12 1/2 feet. This was achieved with no excessive rolling and mowing. Double mowed only early in the tournament week and single mowing during the four days of the tournament on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The greens were smooth, firm, uniform, and fast for the PGA tournament won by the number one player in the world Jason Day.

Chicagoland area Certified Golf Course Superintendent Don Cross reports that after testing and researching varieties of bentgrass he will be seeding his renovated greens and fairways with 100% 007 creeping bentgrass. 007 is a proven variety with lots of examples to see from other course renovations that have taken place over the past few years. Superintendents have reported to save 50% on fungicide use with new 007 compared to their previous prerenovation turf.

August is the perfect timing for seeding bentgrass and the timing is right for completing the Skokie renovation. With an August seeding of greens and fairways expect to see some impressive turf by the end of September. The golf course expects to open for play in the spring of 2016.

Brentwood Country Club, Los Angeles.

The famed Brentwood Country Club completed a greens renovation and re grassing project in the summer of 2015 and re-opened for play in November 2015. The grasses selected for seeding the greens was a combination of 70% Tyee and 30% 007 bentgrasses.

Los Angeles Country Club South Course.

Following the renovation of the classic 1920's designed North Course a few years ago the LA CC has recently under taken the renovation of its South Course. The grasses selected for seeding the greens was a 70% Tyee and 30% 007 bentgrass combination. Greens were seeded in December 2015, with an expected late Summer / Fall 2016 re opening of the golf course.

Sherwood Country Club, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Jack Nicklaus was selected as the course architect to renovated the Sherwood Country Club. For the regrassing of greens a 50% 007 50% Tyee bentgrass seed blend was identified for use. The golf course re opened for play in March of 2016. Sherwood will host the PGA Tour QQQ Tour Championship, as part of the Charles Schwab Cup in October 2017 and 2018.

One question often asked is why is the 007 / Tyee bentgrass seed blend popular for seeding greens in California.

The answer is simple, this seed blend was first used at the Olympic Club in San Francisco in preparation for hosting the US Open in 2012. Pat Finlen, General Manager and his turf maintenance team identified 007 and Tyee for use after on site putting green testing of various bentgrass varieties.

Following the great success of the US Open other California golf courses that had planned greens renovations decided to use the same combination of 007 / Tyee as used at the Olympic Club.

Since 2012 there have been dozens of California course execute a total renovation of greens using the 007 / Tyee bentgrass blend.

Baltimore Country Club, MD, reopens for members play on May 21, 2015 after greens and fairway renovation - August 2014.

Known as "The Five Farms Golf Courses" the famed East course is a A.W. Tillinghast design, Par 70, with back to front pitched greens, and 96 bunkers. The East course has received many honors, including Golfweeks's list of "America's Top 100 Classic Courses." The East course is also listed as the best Classic or Modern (post 1960 design) Coursein the stae of Maryland.

Head Greenkeeper Timmothy Kennelly selected 007 for regrassing greens and fairways on the East course. The renovation project started on July 13, 2014. The new greens and fairways were grown in during the fall months of 2014.

Tim says, "We have been particularly impressed with the performance of the 007 creeping bentgrass from the initial seeding this past July and throughout the fall months. I’ve been especially pleased with the ease of germination during the cool months (October/November) while we were trying to “fill-in” thin areas on both the greens and fairways. The 007 responded well to nitrogen, but I found that on the fairways we were able to grow-in the young turf with less than 2 pounds of Nitrogen per 1000 square feet. We look forward to green up in the spring and managing the 007 in a very efficient and cost effective manner."

The following is a brief summary of the work completed in 2014. The greens renovation started on July 14 with Golf Course Architect Keith Foster and McDonald & Sons as the contractor. The first three greens were seeded on July 26 with the first mowing 13 days following seeding at a height of .250.” Construction continued throughout the summer seeding two to three greens at a time until the last green was seeded on September 12.

By December 18 all of the greens were being mowed at the same height (.150”). During fall months as the height of cut was gradually lowered periodic heavy topdressing was applied to all greens.

Scheduled for spring 2015 there will be surface grooming (brooming, verticutting, sand topdressing, and lowering heights to .125”) with the goal to open the golf course on May 21, 2015.

Regarding the fairways, after multiple applications of roundup, the fairways were seeded with 007 bentgrass over a three day period between August 8-10. Fairways were first mowed nineteen days following seeding at a height of .500”. Ninety days after seeding, the fairways were 99 % grown-in and mowing to a height of .400.

Photo below: Baltimore Country Club is ready for member play on eight month old 007 bent greens and fairways. The picture was taken on May 6, 2015 two weeks before reopening the golf course.

Photo below right:

Golf course superintendent Tim Kennelly shows off eight month old 007 bentgrass root mass in a plug taken from the 16th green.

The greens were seeded to 007 bentgrass in late August 2014 and the photo was taken May 12, 2015.

The members are excited to have the golf course ready for members play on time and on schedule as planned.

The East course at the Baltimore Country Club now has improved playing surfaces to compliment the many honors received for course design, including Golfweeks's list of "America's Top 100 Classic Courses."

Photo below:

New 007 bent greens and fairways ready for opening day in May 2015. Tim Kennelly has nothing but praise for the performance of 007.

Ridgemoor Country Club, Chicago, IL reopens for members on May 23, 2015 afer a total course renovation - play closed July 27, 2014.

Ridgemoor is an example of a very well done, excellently planned and executeded course renovation project completed under the leadership of Club President Ed Mancini. Without Ed's dedication and persistance this project would not have been approved by the membership.

Photo above: New 007 bentgrass fairway at Ridgemoor, June 2 2015.

Evaluating the eleven month old 007 turf: Going into August 2015 Josh reported he has cut fungicide use approximately 50% with 007 seeded on greens, tees, and fairways compared with what he was using prior to the total course renovation. Those saving on fungicides are real and will continue month after month and year after year.

All involved in the Ridgemoor course renovation must be gratified to have been part of a model project for planning and efficiency. The members will be taken away with how the new greens surfaces will perform, the consistency of the fairways, and tees and bunkers that now have style.

Having worked with many golf course projects, I observed the Ridgemoor renovation was executed as smoothly and seamlessly as any and is number one from my experience.

The golf course superintendent team of Josh and Todd are truly special and gifted professionals. I was impressed with the Jacobson design team of Rick and Doug and how they provided close contact and detailed responses during the planning and execution of the renovation. TDI was an excellent choice for the contractor.

A successful total golf course renovation only occurs with solid leadership, detailed planning, and a team of professionals to execute the plan. The members of the Club will now have many occasions to admire the new Ridgemoor golf course.

Photo below was taken May 22, 2015 on the day the golf course was reopened for play after a total course renovation in 2014. The new 007 greens were seed in August 2014.

The scope of the project includes rebuilding two greens on the golf course and building a new putting green. The sixteen (16) remaining greens will be gased and regrassed with 007 bent.

The fairways will be fumigated with Basimid and seeded to 007 bent. Some tees will be totally rebuilt, enlarged, leveled and seeded to 007.

Additionally, bunkers will be rebuilt with new sand added, new cart paths will be installed and additional drainage will be installed.

The timeline for the project is to complete the majority of the work during the summer and fall of 2014 with a scheduled reopening in late spring of 2015.

The photo below was taken on September 19, 2014 showing a new 007 bentgrass green that was seeded on August 23 - twenty six days old at time of the picture.

The renovation and regrassing at Ridgemoor that took place from July 27 through to the end of November was implimented very professionally. All of the new 007 greens were absolutely perfect going into the 2014 - 2015 winter.

Josh Langell, golf course superintendent, Todd Vermillion, assistant superintendent, Golf Course Architects Rick Jacobsen and Doug Myslinski are all very pleased with how the renovation progressed at Ridgemoor - late summer and fall of 2014.

In my opinion the Ridgemoor course renovation is a fine example of how a golf course can be significantly improved, with propper planning and implimentation, over a relatively short period of time.

Nine months after seeding 007 greens (early August 2015)Dan reports the following "The actual greens are awesome. We have not pulled a hose to cool them off all year! We prep them up with our moisture meters to about 16% in the morning and let em go. Have not had a burn yet, so I don't expect one either....007 WAS A GREAT CHOICE!!!!"

In discussing a bentgrass greens grow in with Dan the following is what I recommended for the Fall 2014 seeding:

1. Apply a preplant starter fertilizer, 10-20-20 or similar ratio at the rate of two pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. Rake or till the perplant fertilizer into the top 3 inches of the growing medium.

2. Seed 007 bentgrass at the rate of two pounds per 1,000 square feet..

3. Week two after seeding start applying a granular fertilizer (using a small cyclone spreader) at the rate of .4 pound of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet every 3 to 4 days (twice a week). Suggest using a fertilizer with a 4-1-3 ratio or similar grade.

4. Continue the twice a week fertilization for approximately eight weeks after seeding.

5. As soon as the seed germinates spray the greens with a fungicide to control pythium and brown patch. When the weather starts to cool in late October include a fungicide to control pink snow mold. Suggest not to use large spray tanks driving over the greens. Would use a Spray Hawk for application of fungicides.

6. Two weeks after seed germination initiate mowing, first mowing at a height of cut of .300 of an inch.

7. After the first mowing at .300 of an inch, lower the mowing height twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. Lower the mowing height from .300 to .275, .250, .225, .200, .190, .180, .170, .160, .150, .140, .135, .130, .125. This twice a week height of cut lowering process will take approximately six weeks.

8. Initiate a light sand topdressing when the turf cover is 100% or when the mowing height has been lowered to .190 of an inch. Light sand topdressing to be applied the day after lowering the mowing height or twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays - through to the end of November. Apply the sand topdressing using two cyclone spreaders, application made in different directions by the two cyclone spreaders. Must use dry sand for use with small cyclone spreaders. Would not drive a large spreader over the greens for topdressing.

9. Going into December the greens should be in very good condition. At this point back off on the fertility to every other week for the month of November (all applications at the .4 pound of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet rate).

10. Expect the new 007 greens to continue maturity from seedling turf to a mature green during the 2015 growing season.

The above greens grow in plan worked very well as can be seen in the following photos.

Photo below: The new 007 greens were ready for play in May 2015. The green below was seeded to 007 bent on October 5, 2014 with germination and grow in completed by May of 2015. Note how uniform and dense the 007 has developed for a putting surface.

Supterintendent Dan Robinson said, "We had a very good fall (2014) for growing grass. We had them (007 bent greens) down to .150 (height of cut) before Christmas. We burried them in sand by hand in March, April, and then one more time in May (2015). We now have roots into the pea gravel."

Davenport Country Club completes a total course renovation in 2014

Davenport Country Club, Davenport, Iowa - Dean Starks, golf course superintendent, supervised the course renovation in 2014 under the directon of Forse Design, Ron Forse and Jim Nagel. The 1924 classic golf course with push up greens was regrassed to 50% 007 50% Tyee bents on greens with the tees and fairways seeded to 007 bentgrass.

The greens renovation included three new USGA constructed greeens, with the remainding 1924 push up greens first stripped of three inches from the surface, then added three inches of a 85% sand with 15 % peat moss mixture followed by tilling to a depth of six inches. Next step was to add five additional inches of the 85 / 15 mix followed by tilling the surface to a depth of six inches. The surface was sterilized with methyl bromide, aired out, floated and packed prior to seeding.

The golf course is scheduled for opening to members play in May / June 2015.

The popular Monterey California golf course know as Poppy Hills reopened for play in the spring of 2014 after undergoing a total redesign and course renovation (2013) that took just more than a year to complete. The new greens were seeded to a Tyee / 007 bentgrass seed blend.

The renovation was overseen by course architect Robert Trent Jones II, who designed the layout in 1986. With the renovation Jones built a new Par 3 11th hole; created a new 12th hole, which has the tees directed towards an ocean view with a downhill drive; and renovated the stream in front of the ninth green.

For the renovation the entire course was sand-capped to improve drainage, a large amount of rough was also eliminated in an effort to make the course play firmer and faster.

The plan was to renovate the original 1920 push-up greens from the old Poa annua / Bent mixed turf growing in soil that exibited layering and were poorly drained.Prior to the scheduled renovation a test green was establised at St. Clair CC in 2012 with 007 bentgrass. 007 bent was identified for use as a result of it's successfull performance on greens at the Greenbriar CC in St. Louis.

The 2013 greens renovations included:

Five complete green re-builds,

Six greens that were perviously rebuilt in 1993 were fumigated & skinned,

Seven greens were original pushups dating to 1911 that were fumigated and skinned.

Jeremy reports that the "007 established very well on all greens, and for the first summer in 2014 the 007 perfromed great with 8-10 inch deep roots."

Jeremy says that he is "thrilled with the results and ready to open the course in April 2015."

Wynstone Golf Club near Chicago completes course renovation in 2014.

Ben McGargill, Golf Course Superintendent at Wynstone reported, "This year (2014) we re-grassed fairways, approaches and greens. On greens and approaches we used 75% 007 and 25% Tyee. I liked the 007 best on the trial green that we re-grassed in 2013, but also liked Tyee. Since they are compatible, we blended the seed. Probably not necessary but I think there is some value in avoiding monostands in this day and age."

Photo above "The 007 sod was purchased (from East Coast Sod in New Jersey - shipped to the Chicago area golf course) for approaches where things didn't grow in as quickly as I would like, mainly in wet areas where heads watering the USGA greens applied too much water to the heavy soils in the approaches."

Photo below shows workers installing a cover on a 007 / Tyee green to retain heat during a cool night in the fall months to assist with retaining soil temperatures.

Golf's bigger than life celeberty, Donald Trump is teamed with Jack Nicklaus golf design to construct a world class golf course in the south Bronx, NYC. The Trump Ferry Point golf course will play as a links style course, with no trees, only grasses. The greens were seeded to 007 bentgrass. There will be man-made dunes topped with Seed Research Chewings, hard, and creeping red fescue grasses and other meadowland grasses to produce the Scottish / Irish look to the layout. From the back tees the course is set to play at 7,300 yards.

The story of New York City-owned Trump Ferry Point has a long past. Previous NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, initiated the project over a dozen years ago. Enter Mayor Bloomberg to push the project through which he did by involving Mr. Trump to make the project viable. The golf course is scheduled to open to the public in the spring of 2015.

Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point sits on a 222-acre former landfill adjacent to the Whitestone Bridge, with river and city views including the Manhattan skyline in the distance.The golf course will be strictly a public facility with green fees for locals anticipated to be around $125 and higher for tourists and out of state golfers.

Jack Nicklaus design worked in association with architect John Sanford on the Ferry Point project.

SentryWorld was built over 30 years ago as a premier public golf courses in Wisconsin. With the total course renovation in 2013, each part of the course has been given extensive renovations, including the greens.

Golf course architects Bruce Charlton and Jason Blasi are working on the SentryWorld renovation project with the Robert Trent Jones II firm. "When hitting shots from 150 yards away, it was difficult to get the ball close to the flag," Blasi said. "The greens were too broken up and there were essentially mini greens within each green. The smoothing of the greens will definitely make them more playable."

The new greens were seeded to 007 bentgrass. 007 bentgrass was selected specifically to meet SentryWorld's needs for faster greens speeds, disease resistance, firmness, and aesthetics.By mid August 2013 ten greens were seeded to 007 bent. Going into September four more greens were seeded and by mid month the remaing greens were seeded. The target date for reopening the golf course is August 12, 2014.

In addition to seeding 007 on greens, East Coast Sod (NJ) has custom grown over 5 acres of 007 bent for SentryWorld, delivered at 3/8 inch height of cut, use on collars and the approach to greens.

For the 2013 total course renovation Dan Meersman, Director of Grounds, decided to use 007 creeping bentgrass for seeding his new fairways on the Wissahickon course.

The Wissahickon course at the Philadelphia Cricket Club was designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1922. This 2013 renovation's goal was to bring the course back to the original design using photographs and original course design documents.

Kieth Forster, golf course architect, was hired to oversee the renovation which started in mid June 2013 and is nearly completed after six months of construction.

The newly renovated Wissahickon course reopened for play on Memorial day 2014.007 bentgrass selected for seeding greens at the Amarillo Country Club, 2013.Nathan Neumann, Golf Course Superintendent, reported, "The golf course opened for play in September of 2013 with 100% 007 seeded on the greens. Tees and fairways were seeded to thermal bluegrass and ryegrass. The rough was seeded to: Thermal bluegrass, ryegrass and tall fescue. Also, native areas seeded to: SR3150 and SR3210 fescue.

Metedeconk National Golf Club, NJRyan Oliver was the Golf Course Superintendent who planned and executed the greens renovation in 2011 - 2012.

The following is an example of a 100% "in house" renovation using "home grown" bentgrass sod. That is five month old bentgrass sod grown on the golf course property. Most amazingly, there were no outside contractors hired to work on the following greens renovation project.

Metedeconk National 2012 Greens Renovation Project:

1. Strip greens, sterilize the soil, and seed to bentgrass: Nine holes were closed August 1, greens were seeded on August 15.

2. Strip greens and resod with bentgrass: Five greens sodded, using "home grown" sod from an on site nursery, starting October 16 and completed in late November 2012.

Summary results for 2012 include fourteen greens regrassed, from August through November. Additionally, fourteen greens approaches stripped and regrassed with drainage added to approaches.

Note: In 2011 two greens were regrassed using "home grown" bentgrass sod with two new practice greens seeded.

With the above 18 greens were renovated and will be open for play in the spring of 2013.

Starting the project: Stripping sod from a greens approach in early August 2012.

A 50,000 square foot sod nursery was built, for greens use, and seeded, on site, at the golf course.

The sod nursery was established on a modified sand based nursery.

Cutting five month old sod from the Metedeconk bentgrass nursery, rolled up on 16-foot long strips onto pieces of PVC pipe -- use a bar placed into the pipe, one man on each side of the roll, will lift the sod rolls into trailers and then located them at a green to be sodded.

Sod installation on a greens approach after the drainage installation.

All sod was “home grown”,on site, at Metedeconk from a 20,000 sq. ft. nursery for use with re grassing approaches – bent sod was five months old, 50% 007 25% A-1, 25% A-4.

Approaches were not sterilized prior to sodding.

Metedeconk National Golf Club renovation eleven weeks after seeding greens to 50% 007 and 50% A-1, A-4 in early September 2012, turf – type tall fescue sodded around bunker faces. Approaches sodded using “home grown” 007 and A’s bent sod. The golf course will be open for play in the spring of 2013.

Most impressively, no outside contractors were used for the renovations. All of the work was accomplished by the golf course maintenance crew under the direction of Ryan Oliver, superintendent.

The Olympic Club, San Fransico, California is set to host their fifth U.S. Open Championship the week of June 11-17, 2012.

Pat Finlen, golf course superintendent at the Olympic Club, directed the total renovation and regrassing of his greens using custom sod grown from West Coast Turf. The sod used for re grassing the greens was seeded to 70% Tyee and 30% 007 creeping bentgrass varieties during the fall months in 2009 and winter of 2010.

Some have referred to the varieties Tyee and 007 as the new "super bents" recently developed at Rutgers University. Why are the bentgrass varieties 007 and Tyee called "super bents?" Simply, 007 and Tyee bentgrasses far exceed the overall turf performance that one would expect from Penncross, Penneagle, and Pennlinks. Additionally, both 007 and Tyee bents have proven performace for use on greens, tees, and fairways that significantly exceed the A and G varieties.

Photos above and below were taken in March 2009 during the rebuilding process for new greens surfaces at the Olympic Club.

The turf used for re grassing the greens was a combination of Tyee / 007 creeping bentgrass varieties. The Tyee / 007 sod was custom grown by West Coast Sod.

The photo below taken August 30, 2009 approximately five months after renovation of the new Tyee / 007 bent greens.

The Trails Golf Club Greens Renovation Project and Seeding with 007 Bentgrass, August - September, 2011.

Chris Randolph, golf course superintendent at The Trails Golf Club in Norman, Oklahoma is undertaking a total greens renovation on the front nine greens and the putting green. The renovated greens will be seeded to 007 creeping bentgrass.

For the back nine greens Chris will be interseeding 007 into his old Penncross bentgrass surfaces.

Superintendent Chris Randolph has developed a plan to totally renovate his first nine greens and the putting green. This plan includes removing the soil layer and replanting with seed of 007 creeping bentgrass.

007 is one of the new "Super Bents" developed out the the Rutgers University breeding program and marketed by Seed Research of Oregon. Chris selected 007 bentgrass because of it's proven heat tolerance and knowing it will provide a far superior putting surface compared to Pencross.

The photo below shows the soil layering problem in the greens at The Trails Club in Norman, Oklahoma. The justification for the greens renovation is understanding that soil layering is one reason why a golf course green may fail or provide conditions not condusive to water movement through the soil profile.

Chris explained, "The first step in the renovation process was to kill the existing Penncross green." In August 2012, "All geens on the front nine and the putting green were sprayed with Round-Up Pro-Max and Fusilade." The total kill herbicide spray was allowed to sit on each green for four to five days before cutting the sod and removing the old Pencross bentgrass turf.

The old Penncross sod, from each green, was cut at a two inch depth and removed.

Photo below shows a green after removing the two inch thick sod from the surface.

Chris reported, "We cut an additional two inches of soil off the green to make sure we removed the entire layer that was present. So, in total the amount of material removed from the surface was four inches. Edges were dug out with small excavator to remove Bermudagrass contamination."

The construction crew (photo below) is shown placing greens mix back in the green cavity. Once leveled the surface will be graded to contour, floated with water to pack and firm the surface, leveled with a sand pro, hand raked prior to seeding the 007 bentgrass.

The schedule is to have all of the new surfaces on the front nine and the putting green seeded by the first week of September.

Seeding new 007 bentgrass greens;

Seeding rate for 007 would be 1 1/2 to 2 pounds per 1,000 square feet (non coated seed). Chris has some 007 that is coated, with this I would adjust the seeding rate to 2 1/2 to 3 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

With a early September seeding date, if there is perfect fall weather, there is a chance the front nine greens may be open for weekend play in late fall. The most likely situation will be a spring 2012 opening of the new greens.

Chris explained his process for adding sand and mixing peat into the sand;

New coarse sand was brough in at a depth of four inches replacing the four inches of old soil removed from the surface (of each green). Dakota peat was added to the sand surface and was then spread uniformly over the top of the green with a sand pro.

After the Dakota peat was smoothed across a green using a sand pro, each green was tilled five times, in different directions, tilling the peat into the new sand at a depth of 6-8 inches, using a tractor driven tiller (high PTO speed and low travel speed).

Chris observed germination of 007 bentgrass in three days with a green fuzz found on all greens after five days.

The first mowing of greens was seventeen days after seeding at .250 inch height of cut.

Chris advised, "My new 007 greens are coming in very nicely. The roots of the 007 seedlings are five - six inches deep, photo right, at twenty eight days old."

Chris reported, "Today (photo below), the greens are thirty three days old (October 10, 2011) with a mowing height of .200 inch, mowing four days a week, topdressing every Monday and fertilizing greens every Friday with .71 lbs. / Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet."

Chris Randolph, golf course superintendent at the Trails Golf Club, sent the photo below showing a new 007 green that is 73 day old (on November 22). Chris offered the following comments, "All the greens are currently being mowed at .160 of an inch, two to three times times a week. The new 007 greens have come in extremely well. Our plan is to open the 007 greens in mid April 2012."

For tips on growing in new greens read my article "New Greens Seedings: Bentgrass Collars Dying?" on my web site www.bentgrassdoctor.com. Recommend growing the green in at green height, not collar height, until two weeks before planing to open the greens for play, spring 2011.

007 bentgrass grow in recommendations for greens include;

1. Surface apply a 0 - 20 -20 starter fertilizer at the time of seeding.

2. Once you have seed germination and the air temperatures are below 95 degrees F, would start to fertilizer the greens twice a week, Mondays and Fridays, with .3 pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. Use a Nitrogen source that is 50% organic, is a safe, non burning product. Select a 3 - 1 - 2 fertilizer ratio, or similar, to supply the Nitrogen.

3. Follow this fertility program through September and October. During this eight - nine week period you would have put on approximately a total of five pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.

4. In November cut the fertility back, applying the same rate, but once a week instead of twice a week.

5. By December the greens should be looking good and you can back off the aggressive fertility program. Once the weather breaks in late winter (2012) plan on applying approximately .75 of a pounds of N per 1,000 square feet per month during March, April, and May. The total amount of N should applied each month should be divided up in three equal applications of .25 pounds N applied every ten days.

At this point you can re assess the situation and make up your own fertility plan for the summer months.

Mowing height and frequency after 007 seed germination;

During the second week of September would expect you will start to mow the greens, approximately twenty one days after seeding. You may have to modify my suggested dates and mowing frequency depending on when you seed and what you are seeing during the grow in process.

Mow the complete green at green height of cut, use the following schedule as a guide. No collar cut, only greens height of cut. Do a clean up cut only once a week.

September, week 4, On Monday lightly topdress with sand and lower mowing height, mow three times this week on Monday and Wednesday @ .250 inch and lower mowing height for Friday @ .225 inch. Topdress using two small cyclone spreaders applying sand in opposite directions. Go over each green twice with sand.

October, week 1, On Monday lightly topdress with sand and lower mowing height for Monday and Wednesday @ .225 inch and lower again for Friday and Saturday @ .200 inch. Mow four days this week.

October, week 2, On Monday lightly topdress with sand and mow Monday and Wednesday @ .200 inch, and lower mowing height for Friday and Saturday @ .190 inch. Mow four days this week.

October, week 3, On Monday lightly topdress with sand and lower mowing for Monday and Wednesday @ .180 inch, and lower height of cut again for Friday and Saturday @ .170 inch. Mow four days this week.

October, week 4, On Monday lightly topdress with sand and lower mowing height on greens for Monday and Wednesday @ .160 and lower height of cut again for Friday and Saturday @ .150 inch. Mow four days this week.

Leave the height of cut at .140 for the winter months. You may want to mow, three or four times, during late November, December, January and February on a as need basis.

In mid March, start to lightly topdress the greens each Monday and start mowing at .140, then .135 the next week, then .130 the next week, then .125 by the end of April and into May With each lowering of the height of cut lightly topdress. Would not mow lower than .125 the first summer. Suggest keeping up the light topdressing each week throughout the 2012 season.

At some point, when you want to open the greens for play, I would then mark the collar cut, at this time let the collar grow in to a higher height of cut, .250 inch. Would rather have a lower height of cut for the collar compared to a higher cut.

You may want to adjust some of the mowing frequency depending on how fast the greens are growing. After following the above "grow in" program your new greens should be in very good condition going into the 2012 summer.

It was June 2011 when Tim Youngberg, Golf Course Superintendent at the Mira Vista Golf & Country Club reported to me, "My seeding date has finally arrived". One question I have, "when should I expect my greens to be playable, I'm planning on fourteen weeks as Mira Vista is located in the Bay Area of San Fransico (very close to Olympic Club) and the average temperatures are between 75-85 during the summer." I responded that a three or four month grow in for new bentgrass greens is a good plan.

Tim reported that his last green was seeded to the Tyee / 007 bentgrass blend on the fifth of August with seedlings "starting to poke through" within a week. After a June seeding of greens at Mira Vista the first mowing has been, on average, twenty days after seeding.

Tim is now on schedule for a fourteen week grow-in before allowing member play his new Tyee / 007 bentgrass greens. As of August 15 there are nine greens at .160 inch height of cut and these greens are seven to eight weeks old.

Seventy Three Day Total Greens Renovation at Burning Tree GC, Washington DC.

Greens Seeded with 007 Bentgrass, One of the New Super Bents Developed at Rutgers Univeristy.

A late summer 2010 greens renovation produced excellent 007 bentgrass greens in April 2011. I visited Burning Tree GC in early April and toured the property with golf course superintendent Dave Kardos. I was amazed with the maturity, quality, uniforminty, color, fine leaf, dense texture of the new bentgrass greens. Every golf course with Poa annua greens should consider Dave's example for a 71 day bentgrass conversion.

Prediction: "Total renovation of Poa annua greens and re seeding with a new super bent" will be a growing trend for dealing with old Poa annua greens. Why not!

How did Dave Kardos accomplish the conversiton? Read the time line and proceedures as described below:

August 20, verticut and reseed greens - after a second heavy rain - with .5 lb (2.5 grams per square meter) of 007 seed / 1,000 square feet due to rain wash out.

August 30, cut greens first time at a .200 inch (4.9 mm)

September 11, lower mowing height to .190 inch (4.75 mm)

September 13, lightly topdress greens with sand

September 15, lower mowing height to .170 inch (4.4 mm)

October 19, new 007 greens open for play with a cutting height of .155 inch (3.95 mm). Seventy three days from the start of renovation – August 9 – to re opening on October 19.

Dallas Country Club Selects 007 and Tyee for Seeding New Greens.

Kirt Phillips, Golf Course Superintendent, at the Dallas Country Club (Dallas, Texas) has been kind enough to provide the following information about the renovation and re grassing of his new greens.

Kirt states, "We are going to seed the 70% / 30% blend of Tyee / 007 on our greens". Kirt reported that he seeded the front 9 on September 6th and mowed them for the first time September 24th, 2010. The remainder of the greens were seeded from the 9th-15th of September. As a side note all the greens have fans, otherwise there would be limited air circulation due to heavy tree cover and the environment close to downtown Dallas.

A September seeding date in Texas will provide ideal temperatures for the grow in of a new putting green. Expect the green to be ready for play in the spring of 2011.

Photo left, Tyee and 007 creeping bentgrass germinating on a new greens ten days after seeding in September at the Dallas Country Club.

Photo right, Tyee and 007 green ten days after seeding. Once the surface is completely covered with seedlings the maturation process will begin.

It will take approximately four months for the green to become established but a year or more to provide a mature turf.

For the first summer after seeding (2011) the new greens should be mown a little higher than normal to minimize the summer stresses on a young bentgrass green.

Photo below is the 18th green at the Dallas Country Club taken on October 18, 2010 thirty eight days after seeding.

Photo below taken on October 18, 2010 - Green seeded on September 10 with a current height of cut of .190 inch, mowing 5-6 times week, superintendent Kirt Phillips reports "we started topdressing lightly every week when the greens were about a month old."

The close up photo below - October 18, 2010 - shows the density and texture on a seeded thirty eight day old 70% Tyee and 30% 007 creeping bentgrass green.

Update on 007 Greens at Wichita Falls Country Club, Texas...Bentgrass Greens Growing in a Hot Climate.

I want to thank Nathan Neumann, Grounds Superintendent, Wichita Falls Country Club for sending me an ongoing report on his almost two years old 007 putting greens.

Nathan's November 2010 report includes, "When I am asked about the performance and qualities of the 007, it has good density, very uniform, extremely fine leaf texture, and aggressive growth habit, but the one area where I believe 007 excels is because of the broad genetic base. The 24 parents of 007 gives the diversity to help adapt and deal with environmental extremes that are faced during the year, along with qualities to provide a superior putting surface. The climate I am in has very extreme weather conditions, and the 007 provides excellent winter color with no purpling and held up very well in the extreme heat we faced this summer. I have been extremely pleased with the performance and qualities of the 007 since I planted the greens over two years ago."

During the heat of summer the following comments were sent to me by Nathan on August 13, 2010 and relate to the extended heat experienced during the summer of 2010.

"As far as the other courses in this immediate area, the public golf course across the street from me has xxxxxx greens and they are not handling the summer stress very well at all. Most of there greens have a good amount of stress. I have heard of some bentgrass golf courses in the Dallas (100 miles away) area having some stress with some closing due to stress. We are far ahead of any course around this area (two year old 007 greens), and in fact some of the stressed areas I am starting to see some recovery on these areas. Most of the spots that I have are from the LDS / Fairy Ring or the areas that do not get any air, and most of these areas are confined to a couple of greens which do not have the best air movement."

Nathan's comments on some maintenance practices, "FYI, as far as water management, we have been hand watering throughout this heat stretch to help control moisture. We would deep water on Mondays with the irrigation heads, and then hand water the rest of the week. Any spots that have developed have recovered pretty well even during this heat.

The photo below is a two year old 007 green from the Wichata Falls CC taken on August 13, 2010 after excessive and extensive summer heat.

Photo below was taken on September 2, 2010.

The close up photo below was taken on September 2, 2010 and show's the end of summer density of 007 after extensive summer heat.

007 is proving to be one of the best new bentgrasses on the market today based not only on NTEP variety testing but from results in the field, on the golf course, and in the heat and cold.

More comments from Nathan about his 007 greens, "Growth wise has still been good, they seem to grow even during this heat. I have backed off on the primo apps slightly, and just foliar feed light amounts of N to keep the growth under control. This week I did not spray primo, and I did not lightly topdress them since I vented on Monday. I plan to get back on my regular program as soon as we get a slight break in the weather."

Thank you Nathan for your commentary on 007 creeping bentgrass.

Los Angeles Country Club greens renovation and regrassing with Tyee and 007

Russ Myers, Director of Golf Course Maintenance at the Los Angeles CC reported "We seeded 70% Tyee / 30% 007 creeping bentgrass at different times throughout summer. The first set was seeded on April 4th . We open on 28th of October (2010)…..greens have been ready for at least a month…… We were mowing with 18” Jac with solid rollers at .115 about a month ago and switched to Baroness at .135 right now (October). We should open up at around .125 with wiehle rollers."

Russ commented, "The new bentrasses grew in excellent…..regular grooming has the texture pretty incredible. We were not grooming cleanup pass and difference was incredible. Strong root base, making use of moisture meters to hand water anything 4% or below in mornings. Meters go to 0.0% at 4.7” before wilting."

The River Bend Club Total Course Renovation, Summer 2010

The River Bend Club, Great Falls Virginia, is undergoing a total renovation of the golf course under the direction of golf course architect Keith Foster. Golf course superintendent, Tom Lipscomb has planned extensively for this total renovation of greens, tees, fairways, and roughs with construction starting in February 2010.

The first four photos - left and below - were taken on June 21, 2010.

Included as part of the project is a new maintenance building, new irrigation system, extensive pond and stream restoration.

The original routing of the golf course has been maintained with major modifications made on six holes.

For regrassing the golf course Tom selected 007 creeping bentgrass sod for the fairways. Twenty three acres of 007 (big roll) sod has been contract grown by East Coast Sod in New Jersey.

Tall fescue sod for the roughs and short cut bluegrass sod for the intermediate cut - adjacent to the bentgrass fairways - is the plan.

The greens will be seeded in late August with 007 creeping bentgrass.

Tom stated, "I did my homework and visited East Coast Sod many times to see the 007 bentgrass as well as visiting Tavistock CC (NJ) and the Wilmington CC (DE) as these course also used 007 for their renovations. I consulting with Dr. Hurley and had extensive discussion on the qualities of the new bentgrasses being developed at Rutgers."

The general contractor for the project is Chip McDonald who has vast experience with total renovation projects on Mid Atlantic golf courses. Construction started in February 2010 and is scheduled to be completed by early October.

August 19, 2010 site visit to River Bend:

The following photos were taken August 19, 2010 that show prepping greens for seeding with 007 creeping bentgrass. Green sites were shaped during the summer and individual green cavities were filled with a sand based growing medium and allowed to settle for four to six weeks.

Use of GPS to determine percent slope on the green.

Percent slope is recorded on the green surface using paint.

Adjustments are made to the surface with low spots, excessive slope, drainage concerns, future mowing issues, and to conform to the golf course design concepts of Keith Foster.

Use of a digital level is used while adjusting the percent slope on a small portion of the green. One guide is to keep locations that are to be used for placing the cup at three percent or less.

Checking grade after adding sand to adjust the green surface - slope.

Water is used to pack and firm the sand during the finishing process.

Use of a sand pro with a board wrapped in plastic to assist with smoothing the surface. A level surface is very important when finishing a green prior to seeding.

Golf course architect, Keith Foster, will approve each green site prior to giving the go ahead to finish seeding the green. Once approved for seeding the green surface is raked leaving grooves.

Soil amendments and fertilizer being applied to the surface of the green after the light raking.

007 creeping bentgrass is applied to the surface of the green using a drop spreader.

Seeding the green with 007 creeping bentgrass on August 19, 2010. The 9th green was the first green to be seeded followed by six more greens the following day.

After seeding the green a machine with "dimple tire tracks" pass over the entire green surface to implant the seed into the sand. The dimples will hold moisture which assists with gemination of the seed.

Water is applied to the green immediately after seeding. Light frequent, every two or three hours during the day, irrigation will be applied for the first week after seeding. Germination is expected three to five days after seeding each green.

The total renovation project was completed at the end of October with punch list items completed by the end of 2010.

Photo below was taken November 10, 2010 approximately ten weeks after seeding greens with 100% 007 creeping bentgrass.. The roughs and fairways were sodded, roughs to turf type tall fescue and fairways to 100% 007 creeping bentgrass

Photo below - November 10, 2010 - is the par five 9th hole at River Bend. Fairways sodded in late summer 2010 using 100% 007 creeping bentgrass.

The River Bend golf course will re open for members play July 2011.

Total Turf Renovation at the Wilmington Country Club, DE

Golf course superintendent Dan Pierson recently completed (2008) a total turf renovation at the Wilmington Country Club in Delaware. The greens were seeded to Tyee creeping bentgrass which is one of the new "state of the art" bentgrasses developed by Dr. Leah Brilman of Seed Research of Oregon working in co operation with Rutgers University.

The fairways were seeded to 007 creeping bentgrass developed by Rutgers University working in co operation with Dr. Richard Hurley and Seed Research of Oregon.

See photos below,

How to Introduce 007 Creeping Bentgrass Into Older Varieties of Bentgrass?

I often am asked the question of "What is the best way to introduce new varieties of bentgrass into older varieties" (i.e., Penncross).

First is timing of the introduction of seed into an existing green, tee, or fairway. The best time of the year to spike and seed is the months of June and July. My suggestion is to spike and seed every other week starting in early June and continue through to August. The seeding rate should be in the range of 0.25 lb / 1,000 square feet (1.25 gram / meter square) every other week.

The spiking should be with the use of a "Job Saver" or "Speed Seeder" seeder with "cone shaped" spikes that penitrate approximately one to one and one half inch deep. If you do not have one there are many makes and models of spiking equipment that can produce a small hole in the surface for seed to fall.

When seeding greens I suggest applying a light application of topdressing to the surface and brush the sand into the thatch / mat.

Adding a new improved variety of creeping bentgrass (i.e., 007) will add to the seed bank and gradually incorporate the new genetics into the turf stand. You can expect that after two to three years of interseeding 007 into a Penncross green the turf will show the qualities (i.e., over all density and texture) of the new variety. That is not to say that all of the Penncross will be crowded out as I expect that some Penncross will remain. What I do anticipate is that the new 007 will become the dominant grass on the green, tee or fairway.

Interseeding new varieties of bentgrass will not solve poor drainage, poor air circulation, low light intensity, poor watering practices and other maintenance issues. If any of these factors are limiting the potential turf quality of a green, you MUST first solve these problems before you can expect significant improvement to the turf.